Atelier Iris 2!

[Dogysamich]

Comes out next week! Hurray!

Anybody else lookin forward to this?

[Freakle]

definately. Spent a lot of time on the first one and this one just looks even better.

[Dogysamich]

So I finally got around to playin this a few days ago, due to finals.

Kinda mixed about this one.

I really like the story, and I really like the "gimmick" that the story has goin for it. I think it's a pretty intersting lil system that helps makes the game a lil more involved (although sometimes it does wind up being a chore)

The characters? --shrug-- eh, they're ok. Nothing bad. Atleast they've got some depth to them. Kinda wish somebody had that kool factor or something, i dunno. I was kinda hoping for a few cameos of characters from the last game, but the way this works on a timeline (or what I'm guessing is a timeline), it'd be impossible.

Last, and kinda least in this game (for a change) is the battle system. This is where i'm really torn. They kinda push that they have a "new battle system", but it's not exactly knew. Basically the way it works is

*mini-spoiler* (for nit-picky people like me when it comes to games)

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.The battle system is this formula.
1) Take the last game's system specifics.(mainly the positing, skill breaks, and uniqueness of characters such as Klein).
2) Get rid of them. (Well, dumb down the positing, but get rid of the skill breaks and character uniqueness)
3) Add what can be called a reverse Grandia. (Instead of crushing an enemy before they attack, you aim to crush them AFTER they attack)

and you've basically got the system (so far).



Oh, one more thing for the spoiler.

Popo isnt around, so you dont get the pleasure (read: torture) of sitting through what seemed like 5 hours of voice-acted tutorials. Although, the most i've played AI:2, the more I miss those, cause some of them were kinda funny....

**end of spoiler**
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All in all, I will say that even though this hasnt added up to what I've been expecting since about last november, I'm glad I waited this long. It's a great RPG, and i can safely say it's probably a hell of alot better for people who didnt play the last one.

And dont worry, this isnt an continuing series (like most RPGS), so you dont actually need to play the previous one(s) to understand the game. Infact, all you'd be able to do is recognize recycled things.

[Dogysamich]

So I got around to finishing this game a few days ago, and kinda wanna share my opinion on it.

All in all, it was a good game.

like i previously said, it kinda amounts to fit as a nice sequel (read: prequel) to Atelier Iris.

The story is kinda ho-hum for the most part; following the standard of having one big objective, but getting sidetracked by a bunch of other stuff.

However, it picks up in the end with the ultimate "shit hits the fan" situation near the end of the game. Probably the best one of these in a game in a while, imo.

The battle system, as also stated; feels like a mix between the basic idea of the old game, with a reverse idea of the Grandia gauge thrown in. This is what makes the game mediocre imo, as it's very easy to muscle and overpower the game without any use of a real strategy. This also happens because in event fights you usually find yourself on the good side of the numbers game, and usually dont have to protect yourself and rely on some of the better things character traits of the first game (i.e. counters and dodging didnt really seem to come around as much this time around as the first one). However, the lack of some of these traits did add a little challenge to the game, because i'm pretty sure it'd be easy to crush the game with something like Delsus' feign shot.

All in all, I think the reason why this game seems ho-hum to me is that it basically feels like a recap of the first Atelier Iris, but without all the fine points.

-You have your main theme of alchemy, but for a majority of the game, that gets overshadowed by the story in the foreground.
-The characters are set up in the same fashion, but nobody really has any traits that makes them stand out or unique.
-If you think the graphics look like the first game (which isnt a problem imo, they still look nice), wait till you see some of scenary in the game.
-The battle system is ok, but it's neither unique and catchy nor old-school and classic. Infact, they kind of made an effort of taking the one thing they could have salvaged from the first game, the ability to whore dead people as meatshields.
-As a whole, the soundtrack was so mediocre that I didnt pay attention to it. Heck, the only songs I can remember are the title track and remixes/variations of the main theme of the game(s).

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So, now that I've kinda vented about how i've been happily letdown.. (or sadly pleased, i'm real mixed about this game)

Has anybody else even played it?

Freakle? Anyone? >.<

[hames]

Been thinking about dropping the 50 bucks for it. I love RPG's...

Would you consider it worth it? How many hours of gameplay are there? How does it live up to say, FF10 or FF7?

THANKS!

[Freakle]

dont get it....doggy summed it up pretty well but if i had to do it in one phrase id say -- "boring and annoying fetch quests" :(

[hames]

lol i guess i was hoping it'd be fun for someone who didn't play the first one.

[Dogysamich]

--YES, SOMEBODY ELSE KNOWS ABOUT THIS GAME--

well, i actually think it'd be more fun if you didnt play the first one. I was kinda disappointed on all ends mainly because I played the first game, and I was expecting alot more.

Not to say the game was bad by any stretch of the imagination. It's just that after playing the first one and loving it so much (I'm pretty much Nippon Ichi's whore), I found myself at the end of the game slowly trudging through the end of it.

[hames]

I think I'll go rent it and give it a try.

On a random note, was Star Ocean till the end of time any good?

[Dogysamich]

I've seen people on here and in the gather channel say it was good.

Ironically, however, all the people I know IRL (my friends at college, best bud at home, cousin, etc) all say it's good, yet they quit playing half way through.

The general consensus among the IRL people is that you'll get caught up tryin to do some of the sidequests, then the game is already long.

I thought it was aight when i checked it out though. I havent heard anything bad about it.